the fact that he could not reach Barbara Tompkins. Saturday had been such a beautiful day, he thought she might enjoy a drive up through Westchester, with a stop for an early lunch at one of the little inns along the Hudson.
He got her answering machine, however, and if she was home, she did not return his call.
Sunday was no better. Usually on Sunday Smith forced himself to look in the “Arts and Leisure” section of the Times to find an off-Broadway play or a recital or a Lincoln Center event to attend. But he had no heart for any of it that day. Most of Sunday was passed lying on top of his bed, fully dressed, studying the picture of Suzanne on the wall.
What I achieved was so incredible, he said to himself. That painfully plain, bad-tempered offspring of two handsome parents had been given back her birthright-and so much more. He had given her beauty so natural, so breathtaking, that it inspired awe in those who encountered it.
On Monday morning he tried Barbara at the office and was told that she was on a business trip to California, that she would not be back for two weeks. Now he really was upset. He knew that was a lie. In the course of conversation at dinner on Thursday night, Barbara had mentioned something about looking forward to a business lunch at La Grenouille this Wednesday. He remembered because she said she had never been to that restaurant and was especially looking forward to it.
For the rest of Monday, Smith found it difficult to concentrate on his patients. Not that his schedule was very busy. He seemed to have fewer and fewer patients, and those who came in for initial consultation seldom came back. Not that he really cared-so few of them had the potential for genuine beauty.
And once again he felt Carpenter’s eyes following him. She was very efficient, but he had decided it might be time to let her go. He had noticed that the other day, during the rhinoplasty, she had watched him like an anxious mother, hoping her child will perform his part in the school play without stumbling.
When his three-thirty appointment canceled, Smith decided to go home early. He would get the car and drive up to Barbara’s office and park across the street. She usually left a few minutes after five, but he wanted to be there early just in case. The thought that she might be deliberately evading him was intolerable. If he learned that was true…
He was just stepping from the building lobby onto Fifth Avenue when he saw Kerry McGrath approaching. He looked around quickly for some way to avoid her, but it was impossible. She was blocking his path.
“Dr. Smith, I’m glad I caught you,” Kerry said. “It’s very important that I speak to you.”
“Ms. McGrath, Mrs. Carpenter and the receptionist are still in the office. Any assistance you require can be handled by them.” He turned and tried to walk past her.
She fell into step beside him. “Dr. Smith, Mrs. Carpenter and the receptionist can’t discuss your daughter with me, and neither one of them is responsible for putting an innocent man in prison.”
Charles Smith reacted as though she had thrown hot tar on him.
“How dare you?” He stopped and grabbed her arm.
Kerry realized suddenly that he was about to strike her. His face was contorted with fury, his mouth twisted in a narrow snarl. She felt the trembling of his hand as his fingers pinched her wrist.
A man passing by looked at them curiously and stopped. “Are you all right, miss?” he asked.
“Am I all right, Doctor?” Kerry asked, her voice calm.
Smith released her arm. “Of course. Of course.” He started to walk quickly down Fifth Avenue.
Kerry kept stride with him. “Dr. Smith, you know you will have to talk to me eventually. And I think it would be a much better idea to hear me out before things get out of hand and some very unpleasant situation occurs.”
He did not respond.
She stayed next to him. She realized his breathing was rapid.
“Dr. Smith, I don’t care how fast you walk. I can outrun you. Shall we go back to your office, or is there some place around here where we could get a cup of coffee? We have got to talk. Otherwise I’m afraid you’re going to be arrested and charged with being a stalker.”
“Charged… with… what?” Again Smith whirled to face her.
“You have frightened Barbara Tompkins with your attention. Did you frighten Suzanne as well, Doctor? You were there the night she died, weren’t you? Two people, a woman and a little boy, saw a black Mercedes in front of the house. The woman remembered part of the license plate, a 3 and an L. Today I learned that your license plate has an 8 and an L. Close enough to make it possible, I would say. Now, where shall we talk?”
He continued to stare at her for several moments, anger still flaring in his eyes. She watched as resignation gradually took its place, as his whole body seemed to go slack.
“I live down this street,” he said, no longer looking at her.
They were near the corner, and he pointed to the left.
Kerry took the words as an invitation. Am I making a mistake going inside with him? she wondered. He seems to be at the breaking point. Is there a housekeeper there?
But she decided whether she was alone with Smith or not, she might not get this chance again. The shock value of what she had said to him might have cracked something in his psyche. Dr. Smith, she was sure, did not mind seeing another man in prison but would not relish the prospect of facing the court in any way as a defendant.
They were at number 28 Washington Mews. Smith reached for his key and with a precise gesture inserted it in the lock, turned it and pushed the door open. “Come in if you insist, Ms. McGrath,” he said.
79
The tips continued to filter in to the FBI from people who had been guests at one or more of the various burglarized homes. They now had twelve potential leads, but Si Morgan thought he had struck gold when on Monday afternoon his chief suspect, Sheldon Landi, admitted that his public relations firm was a coverup for his real activity.
Landi had been invited in for questioning, and for a brief moment Si thought he was about to hear a confession. Then Landi, perspiration on his brow, his hands twisting together whispered, “Have you ever read Tell All?”
“That’s a supermarket tabloid, isn’t it?” Si asked.
“Yes. One of the biggest. Four million circulation a week.” For an instant there was a bragging note in Landi’s tone. Then his voice dropped almost to the point of being inaudible as he said, “This must not go beyond this room, but I’m Tell All’s chief writer. If it ever gets out, I’ll be dropped by all my friends.”
So much for that, Si thought, after Landi left. That little sneak is just a gossipmonger; he wouldn’t have the guts to pull off any of those jobs.
At quarter of four, one of his investigators came in. “Si, there’s someone on the Hamilton case confidential line I think you should talk to. Her name is Grace Hoover. Her husband is New Jersey State Senator Hoover, and she thinks she saw the guy we’re looking for the other night. It’s one of the birds whose name has come up before, Jason Arnott.”
“Arnott!” Si grabbed the phone. “Mrs. Hoover, I’m Si Morgan.
Thank you for calling.”
As he listened, he decided that Grace Hoover was the kind of witness lawmen pray to find. She was logical in her reasoning, clear in her presentation and articulate in explaining how, looking up from her wheelchair, her eyes were probably at the same angle as the lens of the surveillance camera in the Hamilton house.
“Looking straight at Mr. Arnott you would think his face was fuller than it appears when you’re looking up at him,” she explained. “Also when I asked him if we knew each other, his lips pursed together very tightly. I think it may be a habit he has when he’s concentrating. Notice how they’re scrunched in your picture. My feeling is that when the camera caught him, he was concentrating very much on that statuette. I would guess he was deciding whether or not it was genuine. My friend tells me he’s quite an expert on antiques.”
“Yes, he is.” Si Morgan was excited. At last he had struck gold! “Mrs. Hoover, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this call. You do know that if this leads to a conviction, there’s a substantial reward, over one hundred thousand dollars.”
